FM4 Frequency 2011 Preview

While there are five acts at 2011 FM4 Frequency that played in 2007, Seeed also played 2004, 2003, and even the inaugural 2001!The eleven-piece reggae/dancehall band hails from Berlin, singing in English, German, and even pidgin Patois – that’s the kind of combo you’re going to get when you mix Deutschland & Jamaica, man…

Beady Eye, 9:30 PM – 10:30 PM

The fights between brothers Liam & Noel Gallagher were as much at the core of alt-pub rock icons Oasis (who played FM4 Frequency back in 2005) as their musical work.After highs & lows, break-ups & reunions, Noel quit or Liam formed a new band with other Oasis members (there were other people in Oasis?!?…), Beady Eye, putting out debut Different Gear, Still Speeding earlier this year, with hopes of a second out by the end of this year – will need to build up that discography to keep people from demanding "Wonderwall"…

Interpol, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM

When the Lower East Side music scene broke out at the beginning of this century/millennium, one of the biggest breakouts was neo-New Wave outfit Interpol (QRO live review) with Turn On the Bright Lights and Antics. Unfortunately, 2007 major label debut Our Love To Admire (QRO review) was a serious disappointment, leading to a hiatus (where singer/guitarist Paul Banks did his own solo thing as Julian Plenti – QRO European tour review). But last year’s return to Matador Records Interpol (QRO review) was a return to form, and so is their live show (QRO photos in Europe), even on the festival circuit (QRO photos at a European festival), as they return to FM4 Frequency.

German rapper Clueso comes to FM4 Frequency with band – which always makes rap better.

Bombay Bicycle Club, 4:20 PM – 5:00 PM

One of a growing stable of ‘club’ bands (see Two Door Cinema Club below), Crouch End’s Bombay Bicycle Club alt-folk/rock got hot early on with "Evening/Morning" and debut LP I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose in 2009, but have already followed it up with Flaws last year and A Different Kind of Fix a few weeks after FM4 Frequency.

Scott Matthew, 3:25 PM – 4:05 PM

Queensland-by-way-of-New York Scott Matthew is best known for his musical contributions to anime, including soundtracks to Ghost In the Shell and Cowboy Bebop – but also a Fred Savage movie and the dark sex comedy Shortbus.But he’ll be in the flesh at FM4 Frequency.

Yuck, 2:30 PM – 3:10 PM

Another young band on the upswing in terms of hype playing FM4 Frequency , but one that deserves it, is Great Britain’s Yuck, who have the kind of skilled-yet-accessible punk that’s worked so well for Sonic Youth (QRO live review) & Dinosaur Jr. (QRO live review).

Also:

Cloud Control, 1:40 PM – 2:15 PM

GREEN STAGE

The Kooks, 11:15 PM – 12:30 AM

With Inside In/Inside Out and "Naïve", The Kooks (QRO live review) burst out of Brighton as alt-pop stars beloved by girls everywhere.2008’s Konk (QRO review) kept that up, more or less, and now the band (QRO photos) tours previewing new material.

Kaiser Chiefs, 9:45 PM – 10:45 PM

Leeds’ Kaiser Chiefs had an alt-cheek to their 2005 debut Employment, but like other Anglo alt-acts that broke out around then (such as Bloc Party – QRO photos), they’ve declined since then, with the mixed Off With Their Heads (QRO review) and poor Yours Truly, Angry Mob (QRO review).At least singer Ricky Wilson hasn’t gone solo like Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke (see below), so who knows?Maybe they’re due for a comeback as they return to FM4 Frequency for a third time (QRO photos at a festival – and will still play the older numbers that got them their Employment).

Hurts, 8:15 PM – 9:15 PM

From Manchester comes electro-pop duo Hurts, who just was named ‘Best New Band’ by NME on the back of last year’s debut, Happiness.

Kaizers Orchestra, 6:55 PM – 7:45 PM

The only bands from Norway that sing in Norwegian that have any success outside of Scandinavia are black metal acts – until alt-rock act Kaizers Orchestra.They return to the southernmost point of the Germanic tongue (not counting the Tyrol…) to play FM4 Frequency for a second time.

Kele, 5:35 PM – 6:25 PM

In the middle of that decade we never named, a bunch of alt-rock burst out of the U.K., such as Kaiser Chiefs (see above) and Bloc Party (QRO photos).Silent Alarm was a strong debut, but follow-up A Weekend In the City (QRO review) mixed bad with good, while 2008’s Intimacy (QRO review) dropped further.Singer/guitarist and frontman Kele Okereke (QRO photos) then went the solo project route (playing 2009 FM4 Frequency both solo & with Bloc Party) with The Boxer (QRO review) – and whatever legacy remained of Bloc Party was tarnished even further.

Two Door Cinema Club, 4:25 PM – 5:15 PM

Hailing from Northern Ireland, but debuting on French label Kitsuné, Two Door Cinema Club (QRO photos) have made a splash in America with songs like "Kids" (QRO video) and "I Can Talk" (QRO video), as well with breakthrough debut Tourist History out now in a deluxe edition (QRO review) for all you late-comers to da Club (QRO photos at a festival).

Hamburg’s Deichkind mash-up hip-hop with German humor and irony – all things Germany isn’t exactly known for, but there’s also some Kraut-friendly electronica in there…

Kasabian, 9:20 PM – 10:30 PM

Indie-rock crossed with the ‘Madchester’ scene in Kasabian. Already a favorite of festivals in their native U.K., the band brings their West Ryder Lunatic Asylum tour to Germany as they return to FM4 Frequency for the second time in three years.

Elbow, 7:50 PM – 8:50 PM

After the very well-received Asleep In Back back in 2001, it wasn’t until 2008 that Elbow lived up/surpassed themselves with the Mercury Prize-winning The Seldom Seen Kid (QRO review).While this year’s Seldom follow-up, Build a Rocket, Boys! (QRO review), isn’t quite that excellent, it’s still a strong follow-up – and the art-rock act is sure to play Seldom songs more than once.

Good Charlotte, 6:30 PM – 7:20 PM

FM4 Frequency ranges across genres, and that includes emo-punk like Good Charlotte.One of, if not the most successful emo-punk bands, they’ve been around long enough to have a greatest hits record – but hopefully you can’t name any of their songs.Oh, and one of the two twins who front the band, Joel & Benji Madden, is married to Nicole Ritchie, after dating Hilary Duff (fact check: it’s Joel Madden, who’s also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador?!?), for all you star-fuckers out there.

Simple Plan, 5:10 PM – 6:00 PM

The emo-pop/punk done in Canada is naturally better than that in the States, and that holds up with Montreal’s Simple Plan (QRO photos at a festival), who are coming off playing the heart of emo, Vans Warped Tour (QRO recap).

Crystal Fighters, 4:10 PM – 4:50 PM

Not all the bands at FM4 Frequency are local or Anglophile, for from Navarre in Spain comes Crystal Fighters, who mixed electronic with Basque traditional on last year’s debut, Star of Love.

The Kills, 3:15 PM – 3:55 PM

Before garage-rock blew up in the States a few years ago, Britain was at the center of a neo-garage/blues boom all its own – and one of the best was duo The Kills (QRO photos) and Midnight Boom.Rock frontlady extraordinaire Allison ‘VV’ Mosshart took some time off from partner Jamie ‘Hotel’ Hince after Midnight to pair up with that guy from that other male-female neo-garage/blues ‘The’ duo, Jack White, as The Dead Weather (QRO album review).But The Kills are back (QRO photos outdoors at a festival) with Blood Pressures (QRO review), and still have the killer live show (QRO live review).

Also:

The View, 2:20 PM – 3:00 PM

The Bewitched Hands, 1:40 PM – 2:05 PM

GREEN STAGE

Dropkick Murphys, 11:15 PM – 12:30 AM

Just as no town in America is as Irish as Boston, there’s no band more associated with today’s ‘Celtic Punk’ movement than Dropkick Murphys (QRO photos).They play regular St. Patrick’s Day shows, will be playing Fenway Park (with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, of course…), and more.Will Irish-American translate to Austria?Well, it is their second time at FM4 Frequency, so go see why they were invited back.

Apocalyptica, 9:45 PM – 10:45 PM

One can be assured there is absolutely no band like Apocalyptica.Hailing from Finland, they’re composed of a drummer & three classically trained cellists, and started off as a Metallica (QRO photos) tribute band.FM4 Frequency hasn’t seen anything like Apocalyptica… since they played the festival in 2004.

While they’ve never really broken outside of the British home, Wales’ Feeder (QRO live review) have been a consistent hit on the Isles, and now bring their alt-rock to Austria.

Also:

Irie Revoltes, 5:35 PM – 6:25 PM

Yodelice, 4:25 PM – 5:15 PM

Friska Viljor, 3:20 PM – 4:05 PM

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20TH

RACE STAGE

Foo Fighters, 11:00 PM – 1:00 AM

For some people, Dave Grohl will always be, first and foremost, the drummer of Nirvana (QRO DVD review), but he’s forged a massively successful career fronting his own Foo Fighters (QRO photos at a festival) for over fifteen years now. Along with former Sunny Day Real Estate bassist Nate Mendel and sometimes member Pat Smear (of iconic punk act The Germs), they’re up to record number seven in last month’s Wasting Light (QRO review) – their first to make it to #1 on the Billboard charts.

Wasting was also a reunion of sorts, featuring not only a guest appearance by Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic (as well as icon-in-his-own-right Bob Mould – QRO live review), but also was produced by Nevermind producer Butch Vig (who did his own drumming in Garbage).Seattle grunge returns as Foo Fighters return to FM4 Frequency!

Rise Against, 9:20 PM – 10:30 PM

Chicago punks Rise Against may have moved to major label status over five years ago, but they’ve kept up their output (and played FM4 Frequency just two years ago), including their most successful record yet, this year’s Endgame, and political agitation, from the straight edge lifestyle to endorsing vegan-friendly Vans shoes.

The Ting Tings, 7:50 PM – 8:50 PM

After bad experiences in teen pop bands on major labels, Jules de Martino & Katie White teamed up for the superior Ting Tings (QRO photos), with killer singles "The Great DJ", "That’s Not My Name" (QRO video), "Shut Up and Let Me Go" (QRO video) and more, put together on 2008’s We Started Nothing (QRO review).It’s been a while since they Started (though played FM4 Frequency just two years ago), so hopefully the duo (QRO photos) comes to Frequency with new material, as well as Nothing.

Jimmy Eat World, 6:30 PM – 7:20 PM

Jimmy Eat World (QRO photos) set the standard for emo-rock in 2001 with Bleed American and "The Middle" (QRO video).Though have never lived up to that (but did recently play it & prior Clarity in full – QRO live review), last year’s Invented (QRO review) and songs like "Movielike" (QRO video) and "Coffee and Cigarettes" (QRO video) still keep the band in the top tier of emo as they return to FM4 Frequency.

Panic! At the Disco, 7:10 PM – 6:10 PM

Another popular emo band playing FM4 Frequency, Las Vegas’ Panic! At the Disco (QRO photos at a festival) finally released their long-awaited third album, Vices & Virtues, earlier this year.While still definitely emo, their energy & humor has helped lift their live show.

K’s Choice, 4:10 PM – 4:50 PM

Hadouken!, 3:15 PM – 3:55 PM

Named after a special attack in Street Fighter, Hadouken! will bring U.K. grime-rap to FM4 Frequency.

Anna Calvi, 2:20 PM – 3:00 PM

A star that’s shot up very fast, London’s Anna Calvi (QRO photos) has been turning a ton of heads back home (QRO photos in London), touring with the likes of Interpol (see above) and Arctic Monkeys (QRO album review), but has already graduated to her own tours, even across the pond.

Also:

Jack Beauregard, 1:30 PM – 2:05 PM

GREEN STAGE

The Chemical Brothers, 11:15 PM – 12:30 AM

In the early nineties, a number of British acts brought the big beats of electronica to the wider world, especially America, and one of, if not the, finest was The Chemical Brothers.Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons have kept on going for nigh on two decades now, sometimes less rewarding (see 2007’s We Are the Night – QRO review), sometimes more so (like their recent soundtrack to the film Hanna – QRO soundtrack review), but always significant.

Stereo MC’s, 9:15 PM – 10:15 PM

Boy, you’ve got to stay "Connected", and FM4 Frequency does that with Clapham’s Stereo MCs.The 1992 hit single is still the outfit’s best-known piece of work (though has graced soundtracks for a number of flops, such as the films Hackers and Saving Silverman, plus Rob Lowe’s short-lived series, Dr. Vegas), but they’re now something of ‘elder statesmen’ in British rap & electronica.

Carl Barat, 7:45 PM – 8:45 PM

Another British act that was in on the blues-garage act before America was The Libertines, fronted by Pete Doherty & Carl Barat.While Doherty (who now insists on going by ‘Peter’) is only recently coming out of drugs & tabloids hole, Barat stayed clean and has fashioned his own solo career (QRO live review).Of course, Libertines reunion rumors are flying thick & heavy, but before all that, catch Barat.